High-pressure compressor or other power-absorbing machine.



A, 0. E. RATEAU. HIGH PRESSURE COMPRESSOR OR OTHER POWER ABSOEBING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 3, 1906.

Patented June 14,1910.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

A. G. E. RATEAU.

HIGH PRESSURE COMPRESSOR OR OTHER POWER ABSORBING MACHINE.

' APPLICATION FILED MAYS, 1906.

961,31 '7. Patented June 14,1910.

3 SHEETS-SHEEP 2.

A. G. E. RATEAU. HIGH PRESSURE COMPRESSOR OR OTHER POWER ABSORBING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY3, 1906- 961,317. 7 Patented June 14,1910.

' SSHEETS-SHEET 3.

a Z-M 1 and the v UNITED STATES onnron.

AUGUS'IE C. E. BATEAU, OF PARIS, FRANCE, ASSIGNOR T0 BATEAIT TURBINE COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION WEST VIRGINIA.-

nren-rnnssnn'n comrnnsson'on ormm'rownn-nnsonnmo MACHINE."

Specification of Letters Patent. patented June 14, 1910,

Application filed May 3, 1906'. SerialNo. 315,047.

chines by turbines or other engines operated by steam, gas, or similar motive power.

Its object is to provide an improved construction and arrangement of said engines power absorbing machines driven thereby. I

In eneral the invention contemplates a plurality of power absorbing machines con-' nected in series with respect to the delivery of theiroutput, these machines being driven by engines which are connected in parallelor series-parallel with respect to the passage of motive fluid.

This invention, though not limited thereto, is especially applicable to a system of compressors for fluids-such as gas or steam, and provides means whereby such fluids may be readily compressed tohigh pressures such sion, these compressors being driven by turbine engines which are connected in parallel or series-parallel with respect to the passage of motive fluid.

It well-known that in the compression of gases, the pressure increases very ra idly with the number of compressor whee s or impellers acting in series. In'fact the characteristic feature of centrifugal fans or compressors is that they furnish an increase of pressure proportional to the square of the periphera s eed and to the density of the gaseous flui As this density increases nearly proportionally to the pressure, it results that the values of the absolute pres sures at the discharge outlets of the succesmetrica progression. Very high pressures are rendered possible by this means. For.

example, "suppose that a com ressor fur nishes a pressure equal to a co u'mn' of air, of 5000 meters. If it receivesthe air from the atmosphere at a pressure of one kilogram per square centimeter, the air discharged will have a pressure of. 1.6 kilograms 'per square centlmeter. A second similar compressor, receiving this air, will carry its pressure to 1.6 =2.6 kilograms ap proximately, and so on. But this is so only in so far as the compression is effected at a constant temperature. In reality, the gas is heated by compression, for it receives the heat resulting from the work lost in the machine, due to friction, eddy cu'rrents', 'etc.','70 V and the temperature would increase still more quickly if the operation were accomplished according to the adiabatic method. As a result of this elevation ottemperatute,

the density no longer increases proportion-' ally to the pressure, and, in consequence, the

final pressures obtained are lower than those which the preceding reasoning would indicate. To 0 viate this lnconven'i'enc, I prop ose to cool'the air either during the 'co'mf pression or between the successive phases of compression, in such a manner as to brin the air back to its initial temperature, an so to increase its density.

" The invention may be more readily understood by reference tothe accompanying drawings, showing a particular embodiment of the invention, in which-- Figure 1 represents in elevation a system of compressors; Fig. 2 is a plan view'thereof; Figs. 3 and 4 are sectional views on lines XX and YY respectively of F i 2; and

Fig. 5 is a plan view of a modifie system.

ike parts are designated by-similar letters of reference throughout the several views.

' The s stem shown in the drawin s'i'in volve's t e use ofturbo-ventilators, -t at is to say, of multicellular fans or comp ressors driven by' steam turbines. The compressors are connected in series, while the turbine motors are su plied with fluid in parallel or series-para e1 Two bases support the casing of the com ressors. One of these bases carries the fluid inlet pipe and a volute;

distributer; the othercarries the volute col-' lector and the discharge ipe.

In Fig. 1 may beseen t assembly ofthe four compressors A, B, C, D, mounted upon four different shafts and traversed in series in series. Between consecutive compressors are refrigeratorsE, F, G, connected between 1 the discharge-outlet of one compressor and the, inlet of the compressor following. The

pressor.

air .leaving one compressor traverses this refrigerator before passing to the next com- The refrigerators comprise metal reservoirs, in one part of which theair to to be cooled is received, and in the other part cold water. The cooling may be accomplished either by mixture or by conduction. In the first case the water is injected into the air, in the form of a jet as finely divided as possible in order to increase the surface of contact' It is thenindispensible to take special precautions so that this watermay not be entrained into the compressors. 0n the other hand, in the process of cooling by conduction, the water and-the air are separated. A group of tubes placed in the reservoir is traversed by cold water and the heated air coming in contact with the conducting walls of the tubes is cooled thereby. Oooling may also be accomplished during compression by causing cold water to circulate in a casing surrounding the compressor itself.

In Fig. 1, the pathof the air is traced by means of arrows. The air enters at a and leaves at b after having traversed successively the compressors and the refrigerators. In order to pbtain high pressures, if a great number of wheels of large diameter is to be avoided, very high speeds of rotation 'must be resorted to. In this respect steam turbines are the only machines which permit of obtaining good results.

In Figs. 1 and 2, it is seen that the compressors A, B, C, D are driven by low-pres sure and high-pressure turbines H, I and L,

J and M, and K respectively, mounted upon their shafts. But it should be noted that in order to obtain high speeds of rotation, the wheels of the steam turbines must be 01' small dimensions. It follows that the passages also will be very restricted, and will 0 y allow a small quantity of steam to pass.

If, notwithstanding, eat power is to ob-.

tained, it becomes in spensable to rovide several turbines, connected in paral el and arranged to reinforce each other. Sometimes it ma be desirable to group a certain number o turbines in series, the different groups thus constituted being connected in parallel.

The system above described is characterized by the employment of multicellular compressors mounted in series upon one or several shafts and driven by turbines which are supplied with motive fluid in parallel or series-parallel. In addition 'to these general dispositions, certain particular features assure a proper operation of the system. The first has for its object to automatically pressors A, B, C, sure existing in the discharge reservoir. For this. purpose valves 6 and f are provided upon the pipes c and d which conduct the steam to the turbines. Each of said valves is governed by a piston g' which is arranged to move in aicylinder h; or a membrane may be used instead of the piston. One of the faces of the piston" is subjected to the pressure of the discharge reservoir, and the other face thereof to atmospheric pressure. This arrangement is indicated diagrammatically in Fig. 2. When the pressure of the discharge becomes too strong the piston moves downward and closes the.

valve; and the turbines and compressors slow down, or even stop. If, on the con trary, the pressure falls below a certain limit, the piston opens the valve, the speed of rotation of the turbines is increased, and the compressors again continue their operation. A second feature has for its object to divide or e ualize the power between the different tur ines. For this purpose upon each turbine, or upon certain ones of the turbines, is a valve 5 or 7' regulating the passage'of steam thereto. This valve is controlled by a piston is the opposite faces of which are subjected to the pressures at the inlet and at the discharge respectively.

value.

The exhaust. from intermittently driven engines stored in accumulators may be utilized as a source of supply of the motive fluid for the low pressure turbines H, I, and J, K, the steam from said accumulators beingconducted thereto by pipes 0, (Z respectively. In such case it becomes necessary to provide against an insufficient supply of steam from said accumulators, due to a protracted stoppage of said intermittently driven engines. In order to obtain, in such event, a continued operation of the compressors, I provide each group of compressors with high pressure turbines L, M, which are furnished with live steam. Under nor mal conditions, these high pressure turbines are inactive, 'the compressors being driven merely by the turbines H, I, J, K. When the pressure in the accumulator becomes lowered. a piston l which has one of its faces subjected to the pressure in said accumulator and its other face to atmospheric pressure is moved in the cylinder m and opens the valve n, which admits live steam into the high pressure turbine. The exhaust steam from the high pressure turbines passes into the passage which supplies the steam to the low pressure turbines.

Under the conditions just described, in order to equalize the power with which the different compressors are driven, itis necessary to diminish the power of the low pressure turbine which is mounted on the same shaft with the high pressure turbine. Figs. 2, 3 and 4: represent in plan and in section a structure for accomplishing this. As there shown, the compressors A, B, C, D are mounted upon separate shafts, driven by the low pressure turbines H, I, J, K, re-

spectively. The shafts of the turbines I, J,

are also provided with high pressure turbines L, M, respectively. Referring to Figs. 3 and 4, it will be seen that the lncreased pressure at the outlet of compressor C due to the added driving action of the turbine M will operate the piston is to close the valve 7', thus cutting off thesupply of steam to the low pressure turbine J, thereby increasing the amount of steam delivered to the low pressure turbine K. By this means equilibrium is restored. The structure shown in Figs. 2, 3, and 4 can also be adapted to an installation for high pressure only. In this case the valves e and f and the pipes 0 and 03 may be omitted and the cylinder m subjected to the pressure of the exhaust reservoir instead of the accumulator. This furnishes an example of an arrangement in series parallel, in which two parallel groups comprise, each a high pressure turblne in series with two low pressure turbines, these two last being themselves in parallel.

Having thus described 'my invention, 1 claim 1. The combination with a plurality of power-absorbing machines connected to act in series with respect to the delivery of their output, of a corresponding number of engines connected in parallel and arranged to drive said machines, valves controlling the supply of motive fluid to the individual engines, and regulators, each responsive to the power developed in a corresponding power absorbing machine, for controlling said valves. I

2. The combination with a plurality of low pressure engines, of a power absorbing machine driven by each engine, a high pres-' sure engine arranged to supplement the driving of one of said power absorbing machines, means for delivering the exhaust steam from said high pressure engine into a chamber communicating with said low pressure en ines in parallel, and means controlled by said power absorbing machines for controlling the distribution of said ex haust steam in said low pressure engines.

3. The combination with two or more low pressure engines and corresponding powerabsorbing machines driven thereby and connected to act together with respect to the delivery of their output, a source of low-pressure motive fluid supplying'said engines in .parallel, a high pressure engine mechanically coupled to one of said low pressure engines and arranged to deliver its exhaust to the other low pressure engine, an independent source of high pressure motive fluid, and an automatic regulator, responsive to a diminution of said low pressure fluid, adapted to admit high-pressure fluid to said high-pressure engine.

4. The combination with a plurality of low pressure engines and corresponding power absorbing machines driven thereby, a source of low pressure motive fluid supplying said engines in parallel, a high pressure engine arranged to supplement the driving of one of said power absorbing machines and arranged to deliver its exhaust to the low pressure engines in parallel, an independent source of high pressure motive fluid, an automatic regulator responsive to a diminution of said low pressure fluid for admitting high-pressure fluid to said high-pressure engine, and an automatic regulator responsive to the power developed in said power absorbing machines for controlling the distribution of said exhaust steam to said lowpressure engines.

5. The combination with a number of compressors connected in series, of ste m turbines connected in parallel, arranged to drive said compressors, valves controlling the supply of'motive fluid to the individual turbines, and a regulator for operatin each valve, responsive to the discharge pressure of the corresponding compressor, whereby the power delivered to the several compressors is equalized.

6. The combination with a series of centrifugal compressors having the discharge of the first connected to the inlet of the second, and so on throughout the series, of a number of engines connected in parallel with respect to the passage of motive fluid, a valve governing such supply, and a piston controlled by the discharge from the series of com pressors, adapted to control the operation of said valve; whereby the speed of the compressors is varied automatically to maintain the discharge pressure approximately constant.

In witness whereof, I, hereunto subscribe my name this sixth day of April A. D., 1906. AUGUSTE O. E. RATEAU. Witnesses:

P. J. A. CHALEIL,

AUGUSTUS E. INGRAM. 

